The cheapest flight in South Africa will set you back just R462 if you’re travelling one-way, or R1,123 for a round trip.
TopAuto compared the cheapest flights offered by various airlines in South Africa, and found that the lowest price to get airborne is currently provided by FlySafair taking individuals from Johannesburg to Durban.
In search of a bargain
We used Google Flights data to compare the rates for different flights taking place in South Africa within the next three months, from late November into January next year.
To find the cheapest option, the filters were set for one person travelling in economy class, with return flights set to take place one week after arriving.
Using this method, the most affordable trip turned out to be from Joburg in Gauteng to Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, with FlySafair charging between R462 and R1,123, depending on whether you book a return flight or not.
This flight was set approximately two weeks from when we looked online, taking place between 17 and 23 November.
Interestingly, the cost was slightly higher when starting at King Shaka Airport, as the best rate for getting to O.R Tambo was between R562 and R1,223 and was scheduled for 16 to 24 November.
In general, it’s not surprising to see that Joburg to Durban is one of the cheapest routes in the country, as it is both a very popular and relatively short trip, clocking in at an hour and 15 minutes over a distance of roughly 570km.
Flights naturally go up in price the longer they are, but the popularity of destinations is also an important factor since it is harder for airlines to cover expenses on less-frequented routes with fewer passengers.
Google Flights cheapest flights as of November 2024.
A few other cheap flights worth mentioning include Cape Town to George in the Western Cape, which only costs R762 one-way, or R1,623 if you’re heading in both directions.
This particular trip was for 15 to 21 November and only lasts an hour before arriving at your destination.
Another standout option under R1,000 was from O.R Tambo to the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport in Mbombela, which only takes 55 minutes.
This option was set at between R962 and R1,327 with planes taking off on 15 and 22 November.
It’s also worth mentioning that FlySafair was the cheapest airline in all of these examples, which is worth keeping in mind next time you are booking a trip.
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